Staying Strong
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Harry Potter, I do not own a thing.
Later that night, as Tonks shift ended and Snape took over, Hermione sat in the darkness of her room, not daring to step outside and be forced to have a conversation with Snape. This plan, however, failed as Snape walked into her room, his wand lit like a flashlight.
"Ms Granger," Snape said, using his wand to find her. "Please get off the floor."
Hermione groaned at plopped down on her bed.
Snape took a chair from the corner of the room and sat it next to her bed. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"As long if it is not about Draco and how I am secretly planning to run away with him, because that's really what I'm planning to do." She replied sarcastically.
Snape cleared his throat, sending her one of his glares. "You may think that this is funny, Ms Granger, but there really is nothing funny about it."
"Did I say that it was funny, Professor Snape? I was only speaking the truth."
"As much as I believe that you probably would run away with him, with all of the precautions that we are taking, you will probably never see Mister Malfoy again."
Hermione shook her head. "Of course I will. I know that he is going to come back for me, and your not going to stop him."
"Stop acting like an immature little child and listen to what I have to say."
Hermione was taken back by this. "Immature? Professor, I really don't see how I am being immature when I am speaking the honest truth?"
Snape sighed. "I know that you are hurt, and I know that what you are going through is hard, but,"
"No, no Professor, do not say that I need to remain positive and cheerful. Until you know how I am feeling at this very moment, you cannot possibly tell me what to do."
"Cut the attitude, Ms Granger. I was just going to say that you must remember that there is a chance that he might be innocent. There is no need to get so worked up."
Hermione nodded her head, taking a long, deep breath. "I'm sorry, Professor." She said softly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
Snape got to his feet and put the chair back in the corner of the room. "You need your sleep. Good night, Ms Granger." He said, slowly closing the door behind him.
"Good night." She whispered, laying back in bed as the darkness closed around her.
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That next morning, as the sun shined directly on her face, Hermione stretched her arms above her head, remembering that it was Remus's shift this morning.
Slowly getting out of bed, she quietly walked over to her door and poked her head into the other room. Remus sat quietly in his chair, a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
"Hello, Hermione." He said brightly, setting his book in his lap and taking a sip of his coffee.
"Hello, Professor Lupin." Hermione walked over to the closet and pulled out a chair, placing it across from Remus's.
"Did you sleep all right last night?" He asked as he set the cup on the floor.
Hermione nodded. "It would have been better if Professor Snape wasn't there."
Remus let out a small chuckle. "He's really not as bad as you think, Hermione."
Hermione smiled. "No, not really."
The room went silent as Remus returned to his book, leaving Hermione watching him in wonder. There was something about Remus that made him very attractive to her. The way that his hair fell to his crystal blue eyes and the way that he smiled sent shivers down her spine. His voice alone made her smile.
After a couple of minutes of watching him read, Hermione decided to go back into her room and find something else to do.
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It was later that afternoon that Hermione began to feel trapped inside of her room and decided to explore the house. Since she had already seen most of the downstairs, she noticed the string that hung from the ceiling and decided to rummage through the attic.
The attic, unlike the rest of the house, was a little cleaner, with a few exceptions like the wall paper that threatened to peel and the dust that covered the boxes. As Hermione stepped up the steps, the first thing that she noticed was the large purple trunk in the corner of the room. Carefully stepping over the many boxes that scattered the floor, Hermione reached the trunk and slowly undid the handle. Inside the box were many beautiful dresses, along with a couple pairs of light pink ballet shoes and matching pairs of pearl necklaces and bracelets. Digging through the pile, Hermione smiled as she pulled out a stunning pure white strapless dress, complete with glittering sequins that ran down the chest and most of the back. The bottom of the dress was frilled and a large piece of silk wrapped around the waist.
Hermione set the dress on a box next to her and dug through the box to find a pair of the ballet shoes and the pearls. Carefully slipping on the dress and adding the shoes and pearls, Hermione walked over to a full length mirror and smiled. The dress fit each one of her curves perfectly and made her feel as lovely on the inside as she did on the outside.
Just then, Remus appeared at the door on the other side of the room.
"Hermione," Remus said as he leaned against the door frame. "What on earth are you doing up here?"
Hermione blushed at the sight of her teacher seeing her in the dress. "I was just exploring."
Remus nodded his head, a smile spread across his face. "I can see. You know, that dress looks absolutely stunning on you."
"Thank you." Hermione said, her face beginning to glow.
Remus walked over to the trunk and crouching down next to it, pulled out a pair of black dress pants and a matching black jacket. "I'll be right back." Walking back out the door, Remus disappeared into the other room to change. Once he was finished, he strode back into the room, leaning back onto the frame. "Does this look all right?"
Hermione nodded her head. "It looks great."
Remus smiled and walked over to a table behind Hermione. Lifting up a box, he pulled a record from its package and set it in the player. At once a beautiful melody began to play from the speakers. Remus stuck out his hand. "Would you like to dance?"
Hermione took his hand and smiled. "I would love to."
Passion filled the room as Hermione locked eyes with Remus, his eyes twinkling with pleasure as he gracefully swept Hermione off her feet. The ghostly tune that played through the record player, the lights set to dim, the clouds of dust adding the perfect touch. His hands in hers, the warmth of their bodies, the graceful sway of Hermione's pure white dress. Everything about this moment seemed to be magical, almost unreal. Remus looked deep into her eyes, as though he was looking into her soul. His stare alone made Hermione's legs go weak. The feelings that surrounded them, so strange yet so right. The questions that lingered through their minds as to the unknown feelings that each were feeling for one another. Hermione hadn't known of the feelings that Remus had developed, nor did Remus know the feelings that Hermione had for him. A teacher and a student, staring through one another with the same love and compassion filling their hearts and each and every empty space that longed for feeling.
As the tune slowly came to a stop, Remus pulled Hermione closer, his warm breath beating on her skin. Hermione looked into his eyes and smiled, pushing a strand of his hair away from his alluring eyes. Her touch sending shivers down his spine. Placing his hand on her rose colored cheek, he slowly leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers and embracing her in his arms. Hermione slightly stumbled forwards as Remus placed his hand on her back, her arms wrapped around his neck.
If one were to walk in on this moment, it would seem to them unnatural, never to be. To Hermione and Remus, the ideas and opinions of what others would have to say didn't seem to matter. They knew too well what the consequences of this match would be, but the choice of giving up was not an option, for the feelings were too strong to break. Running his hands down her shimmering skin, he slowly moved back up her arm and ran his fingers through her curling auburn hair. Hermione stood on her toes as Remus' lips met her neck, leaving a trail of kisses from her lips. The tenderness of his kiss and the passion that Remus expressed to Hermione was something that she had never known or felt.
As Remus pulled away a few minutes later, he sat down in one of the armchairs in the center of the room and pushed back his hair. "That was extraordinary." He said with a grin.
Hermione took a seat on his leg and placed her hand on his face. "It was indeed." She said smoothly, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his. Remus did not protest, for he loved the feeling of Hermione's kiss. Turning so that her legs were leaning against the arm of the chair, Hermione deepened the kiss by placing her hand on the back on Remus's head, his hair softly grazing her hand. After a few minutes, Hermione grew tired and rested her head on his shoulder. Listening beating of his heart, Hermione closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, Remus still holding her in his arms.
Author's Note: Hey there! Ok, I know that I kinda rushed this whole chapter, but I really really wanted to add this part in somewhere. I probably should have explained it better in the second chapter, but Remus did have some feelings for Hermione, that's why he wanted to stay with her the first night she came to the house. If you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them :D. I absolutely loved writing this chapter and I really hope that you like it! Thanks to everyone that reviewed!
Love
Jess